FSU makes it official, announces Terrance Knighton as new DL coach

Florida State officially announced on Friday that former Nebraska defensive line coach Terrance Knighton will handle the same position with the Seminoles.

The news was previously reported by Warchant and other media outlets on Wednesday.

Knighton comes to Florida State as part of the staff of new defensive coordinator Tony White. The two worked together the past two years with the Cornhuskers.

Here is the official release from Florida State:

Florida State has hired Terrance Knighton as the football program’s defensive line coach, FSU head coach Mike Norvell announced Friday.

Knighton has quickly risen to prominence coaching defensive linemen, building on a seven-year NFL playing career with coaching roles in the NFL and in two different college programs. He spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as Nebraska’s defensive line coach after two years as a coaching assistant for the Carolina Panthers working with the defensive line.

“Terrance Knighton is a rising star in the coaching profession,” Norvell said. “He’s earned success as a player and a coach, both in college and in the NFL. He knows what it takes to be an elite defensive lineman and to impact games as a defensive line group. He has first-hand experience as a top player, and as a coach Terrance has been part of developing one of the best defensive lines in the country. I’m looking forward to seeing how he helps our defensive line continue to uphold the Florida State standard.”

In 2024, Nebraska ranked 14th nationally in rushing defense, 19th in total defense and 20th in scoring defense. The Huskers held five opponents to 10 or fewer points and six opponents to fewer than 300 yards of total offense, including limiting Ohio State to 285 yards when the Buckeyes entered the game averaging more than 500 yards of total offense. The Huskers allowed only six rushing touchdowns, the third-fewest in the nation, and held 10 opponents without a rushing touchdown, including all seven at home. Nebraska kept all its home opponents out of the end zone on the ground for the first time since 1939 and was the first team nationally since 2021 to not allow a rushing touchdown at home.

In Knighton’s first season at Nebraska, the Huskers allowed only 92.9 rushing yards per game, the eighth-best rushing defense in the country and the best at Nebraska this century, while also ranking 11th nationally in total defense and 13th in scoring defense. All 13 of the Huskers’ defensive linemen who recorded a tackle set new single-season career-highs, and three defensive linemen earned All-Big Ten acclaim.

“I want to thank Coach Norvell for this amazing opportunity,” Knighton said. “I am humbled and honored. I’m excited to get to work and meet my new family, and I can’t wait to coach these guys!”

In his two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Knighton served as a coaching assistant working with the defensive line. In 2021, his first year coaching in the NFL, the Panthers ranked second in the league in total defense and allowed only 4.1 yards per rush, the No. 9 yards-per-carry defense in the NFL. The 2022 team held opponents to only 4.3 yards per rush to rank 12th in the league.

Knighton began his coaching career as Wagner’s defensive line coach for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. In his first season as a collegiate coach, Knighton oversaw the development of three all-conference defensive linemen, including NEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-American Cam Gill. Gill and fellow defensive lineman Chris Williams both earned invitations to the East-West Shrine Game, the first defensive players to earn an opportunity to participate in the pre-NFL Draft showcase event. They are both still active in the NFL.

Knighton was a standout defensive lineman at Temple and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL for Jacksonville, Denver and Washington. He played in 46 games with 34 starts during his four-year college career and in 2008 became the first Owl to earn first-team All-MAC honors. He was selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Jaguars and earned All-Rookie honors after starting all 16 games in 2009.

After playing four seasons in Jacksonville, he played the 2013 and 2014 seasons in Denver, starting all 36 games over those two seasons and helping the Broncos reach Super Bowl XLVIII. He played the 2015 season in Washington and started all 15 games played. He finished his career with 230 tackles, including 34.0 for loss and 14.0 sacks, 11 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Knighton earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Temple in 2009.

Terrance Knighton Coaching History

2025-               Florida State Defensive Line Coach

2023-24          Nebraska Defensive Line Coach

2022                Carolina Panthers Assistant Defensive Line Coach

2021                Carolina Panthers Coaching Assistant

2019-20          Wagner Defensive Line Coach

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